When Two Worlds Meet
by Lover of Literacy
Summary: Discontinued
1. Chapter 1

This takes place after Opal Incident in Artemis Fowl where he is 13, and during Harry's Sixth year. I am changing it so that the things that happened in the sixth book won't be appearing in this fanfiction.

And of course, neither Harry Potter or Artemis Fowl belong to me.

* * *

Fingers tapped madly across the keyboard in a dark room where only one figure stood. It was clear to tell he wasn't quite human, the horse body probably gave that away. It was hard to tell though, because the room was so dark and the only light came from a computer screen which reflected on the young centaur's face. "Blast.." he cursed under his breath and pounded his fists on the side of his desk.

The action seemed to trigger something as the enclosed room flickered with light and everything became clear. Foaly sighed and rubbed his exhausted eyes and sunk back into his specially designed chair made just for him.

Things have been calm lately… pleasantly so; despite the fact that Holly was gone, not to mention Commander Root. They were both such good officers and the closest people in his heart….at least one of them was still alive. A slow smile threatened to crack over his work-exhausted face, but he stopped. He couldn't let his mind wander to pleasant thoughts. He needed to get back to work…what he had discovered.. was big, very big. So big it didn't make much sense and he had devoted all his time to try and figure it out. It was almost to impossible to believe.

He had grown thin from the effort and pale as well. Even his once glorious fur was loosing its shine as he devoted all his time to researching and learning more. He hadn't left his specially designed office for anything but few bathroom breaks and when near starvation drove him to leave; nor did he let anyone in. He had to keep his work secret until he was one hundred percent sure. He didn't want to look like a fool after all.

But this assignment struck him at a personal level that drew him to work like never before.

There was a group of centaurs, a fairly large group living above ground… with the mud men of all people! A whole herd seemed to of made a home in a heavily wooded forest somewhere in Scotland. This work could have been made all the easier if his equipment would stop having frequent crashes. But whenever he tried to get a close group at this herd, all he ever received was static. Something was blocking his technology- fairy technology!

It took a lot to do that, something no mud man could do.

Was it Artemis…? Was this another scheme for gol- No. He is different now. He even had his memories back and he had helped the people to many times. To think that would be offensive. Artemis was their friend now.

But that was the only answer that might have made sense. Foaly hated to do it, he hated to leave Haven and go above ground but… this was his people! Just like the goblins fought fiercely for one another and a dwarf will always be there for another dwarf, Foaly felt that he had some duty to his fellow kind. He may have been different from others but this was, like he realized long ago when the first troubling piece of information reached him, this was big. He had to bring them underground before they were found. Not just for their sake, but for all of Fairy folk.

The centaur sighed and rubbed his eyes. He was smart enough though, not to do this on his own. He was going to need some help and he was going to get that help from one of the few people he trusted. Ex-Captain Holly Short.

He waited for a moment as he tried to come in contact with the now very busy female elf. She never seemed to be home or at her new office anymore. She always had a case, which was good; she was doing well with herself. But that didn't stop Foaly from missing her. Now and then she would call with a favor. He treasured those few phone calls and could probably recite every word they shared from memory. They distracted him from the problems he was facing now. What could possibly be blocking out Fairy technology!

A familiar face appeared on his computer screen and Foaly frowned in dismay. He had seen this all to many times. "Hello, you have reached Holly Short. My associates and I are not here at the moment, please leave a message and a call back number so we can get to your case as soon as possible. And if this is the LEP, my answer is no like always. I'm not coming back. " Her pre-recorded message went to darkness followed by a beep. Foaly sighed and began to leave his own message.

"I don't have much that I want to say, not in private. But this is urgent, probably more urgent then when he first met Artemis." He paused and ran his hands over his eyes, blinking to try to keep awake. He needed a nap, and a good meal. He looked horrible and he knew it. He was working himself to death- he just hoped that when Holly saw this she wouldn't worry. He rocked back and forth nervously and looked back to the screen, his eyes determined and tired…oh so very tired.

"I can't wait for you… I wish you could have helped me. But this is driving me insane. I have to go solve this myself then. It shouldn't be…to dangerous. Call me back. I might not of left above surface yet." He chewed his bottom lip for a moment, wondering if it was safe to share any more information. Then he felt like slapping himself. This was Holly! Of course it was, she would never betray him.

"There's a herd above ground somewhere in Scotland." And he hung up. Ok, so maybe not as much as he could have added but he was a very paranoid creature.

That would be quite a message for her to go and read. He just hoped… so strongly hoped she would worry. But now… oh right now he just needed a nap. Nearly collapsing in his chair he folded his hands on his desk and pillowed his head in them, falling asleep.

He had a feeling he would need all the energy he could get. Maybe he should have tried Artemis…but the thought was gone and he was fast asleep a moment later.

* * *

It was a month into their term by now and all the students were well submerged in their growing mass of homework. They were on N.E.W.T level now, and that was something not to be taken lightly. Hermoine was probably taking the greatest strain from this, as was to be expected, but even Harry and Ron had buckled down a bit.

**A bit**.

"A bit" meaning that though it was their free period, they were not spending the extra time going over the goblin wars like Hermoine was currently doing but wandering the castle. Both Harry and Ron felt that they deserved the break and though they had no true destination, they were enjoying themselves just… talking outside of the Gryffindor common room which was covered in a thick tension of stress and urgency. Especially when one drew too close to Hermoine.

Perhaps they should see Hagrid. He had by now forgiven them for not taking his course to the N.E.W.T. level, though he tended to grow a bit testy when they go for periods of time without visiting. They haven't visited in a week, so one was over due. Ron brought up the idea to Harry after a stretch of silence.

Harry turned his head to look out the window to what looked like a pleasant warm day. "Sounds good to me. I'll enjoy the walk there." He said to his friend and the two changed their direction to head outside.

They came across an unexpected, though welcomed, surprise. It wasn't everyday that you saw the centaur teacher out of his room and in the halls. He preferred to stay in his quarters and seeing the way it was enchanted no one could really blame him for being a hermit.

And being shunned by the only family you ever had was tough as well.

"Greetings Firenze!" Harry said with a wide grin on his face. He liked this Professor, much more then that old bat. She held no true skill, but for the few unexpected and uncontrolled trances she would sometime slip into. But Harry didn't much like the outcome of those either.

"_Stop it! It's a nice day I mustn't think of things like that right now!"_ Harry cursed himself silently as Firenze gave the two young students a greeting each.

"What are you doing, you don't normal leave your room?" Ron asked. Unlike Harry, Ron didn't feel as close of a connection with Firenze. But maybe when Firenze saved Ron from a unicorn killer and blood drinker he would feel closer to the centaur.

Firenze smiled at them both and took a step to the side and backwards so he was facing them, the movements of his tail being the only sign of the irritation he felt. "I'm afraid that that is my business to keep. " he said, smiling at them pleasantly so they wouldn't feel to put out.

Their smiles still dropped lightly. "Ah…ok. Sorry for asking **Professor**." Harry said, giving him the proper term he deserved now. "We'll be on our way then." Ron said giving him a smile as Harry and Ron side stepped the uneasy centaur and walked around him and made the rest of the trip to Hagrid's hut.

Firenze sighed and ran his hand through his hair to brush the loose strands out of his face. The stars have been acting oddly, enough to disturb him enough to drive him out of his close quarters. What he really would have loved was to seek council with the other centaurs and ask what they saw in the stars.

But that wasn't possible now.

Two worlds were going to meet, never before being aware of the other. It was an oddity, and Firenze thought it meant that maybe the muggles would finally learn of their existence. But no, what the stars were saying was that neither civilization knew of the other and the magical world certainly knew of the muggle world. Even a few muggles knew of the magical world!

This was a race that no one he could ever talk to will know about. He was the only one here who had a faint inkling of his existence. But all he knew was that another type of people existed- how, where, and why he didn't know. He didn't know what they where, or how they came to be. He knew nothing except that they were going to meet unexpectedly. Because… because of the centaurs.

Will this be good or bad? What will come of this…. Who will be harmed!

So many questions in the young centaur's head, and no one he could ask. Not even Dumbledore. He couldn't even seek council in his own kind that lived but a hair's length away in the nearby forest.

He rubbed his hand along his hairless cheek, watching the outdoors. He saw Harry and Ron slip into Hagrid's hut which was placed so close to the home he once knew. He took a deep breath and sighed. "Change is in the air..." he murmured uncomfortably and turned and began to walk back to his classroom and room, the soft _clip-clop_ of his hooves echoing through the desolate hall.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: None of the characters belong to me. This is just a fanfiction.

* * *

It was late at night when Holly Short was finally able to come to her home for a well deserved rest. When she quit the LEP she converted her humble abode to her new office as well. She was starting to regret the choice now because work never left her. But she didn't have much of a choice, she didn't start out with a lot of gold.

Business was slow at first, discouragingly so. The only person who Holly ever really saw was Mulch, her business partner. And he wasn't much to have for company but if she didn't keep her eyes on him then the kleptomaniac dwarf would take off with something of hers. She was already starting to note a shortage of silverware, but she didn't mention it. It wasn't that valuable.

But thank god for Foaly, thank god. He was the one who gave them their first job which sprung them into business. A shipment of old equipment had gone missing when it was on its way to be destroyed. The LEP couldn't find out who did it, and Foaly decided to call his good friend Holly who found it by the second day.

Holly had a suspicion though that Foaly had purposely misplaced it. She never questioned him about it, and neither did Mulch. But how the missing shipment ended up twenty feet underground where only a dwarf would be able to reach quickly was never brought up.

But Holly owed her business to her friend.

Being able to solve a case that the LEP hadn't been able to got both Holly and Mulch's name in the paper as a budding P.I. and one of the best out there. Needless to say, the calls haven't stopped once. They ranged from Sprites calling about runaway children to the LEP offering a variety of positions for both her and Mulch.

They both said no and had stopped taking calls. The only calls from the LEP that Holly would answer would be from Foaly or Trouble. That's it. Everyone else was swiftly disconnected.

Not like Holly or Mulch really had that much time to sit around answering calls. They were both so busy working on cases. They started early in the morning and ended late at night now. It would have been easier if they were able to split up and work on different cases at the same time but Holly didn't trust Mulch to be able to be in another's dwelling without letting his sticky fingers get in the way of things. Besides, he had certain skills in things that she didn't.

"I'm exhausted…but that was a nice tip, wasn't it." Mulch smirked as he entered Holly's home. Not only did she convert one of her rooms to an office, but she turned another room for a place for Mulch to stay in. It was easier to have him close under her watchful eye.

"Tip? They didn't give us a ti- Mulch! Do you want to go back to jail you miserable Dwarf!" she said and looked at him with astonishment. Their pay was well enough now that he didn't have to steal. She supposed that old habits die hard.

"What! It was a stupid case anyway and a waste of time! And those sprites were loaded they aren't going to miss it." Mulch said, defending himself as he pulled out a two silver candlesticks from the folds of his coat.

Despite the truth of his words, Holly still groaned. True, the case was stupid and those Sprites were loaded but that was no excuse. They couldn't have anything tarnishing their name. She sighed and took the two candlesticks from Mulch's greedy hands and looked it over in her own. She shook her head disapprovingly. The case _was _stupid. The woman had lost her earring and her house (Which wasn't very small) and they had spent the past six hour looking for it. No doubt they would call right back for help finding their missing candlesticks.

"We are returning these…tomorrow morning." She said, stifling a yawn.

"Yea, yea. I could be gone by tomorrow morning." Mulch snapped and grabbed the candlesticks back from her and marched angrily to his pigpen of a room.

Holly just rolled her eyes and headed towards her own room. On the way she passed the office and saw a small red light blinking. She paused and rested her hand on the doorframe as the hazel- eyed elf stared at it for a moment. It was a common sight now, they had missed calls. She should probably listen to them now but…a good bath was in order.

"I'll do it tomorrow morning, it's probably nothing important." She murmured as she tore her gaze away and headed to the bathroom. Indeed, the people who called most was the LEP or some of the Fairy Folk with a new job. It would _have_ to wait till tomorrow morning. She didn't think it would be a life or death situation. It never is.

Nothing has been to that level of excitement since her adventures with Fowl had slowed down. None of her cases have been interesting to bother the child genius- now teenager.

"Good night Mulch!" she yelled so he would be able to hear. " Night!" his gruff voice yelled back. He sounded distracted. She wouldn't be surprised if he was trying to melt down those candlesticks into something new that he could sell for some quick gold.

_Old habits die hard._

* * *

****

Tired eyes drifted open and a low groan emitted from Foaly's throat. How long had he been asleep?

He sat up and rubbed his eyes, feeling an indentation on his cheek from sleeping on his keyboard. He felt better though, refreshed. But now that he had satisfied one urge, the urge to sleep new urges for nagging at him. To eat, to bathe, to rest! He beat them down though. He had other things to think about.

Like getting to the surface.

He looked at his computer screen and frowned in dismay. Two hours had passed, and he had received no new word from Holly. He was going to go on his own then. He stood up, his muscles aching in protest. Since he was going to go alone, this visit was going to have to be quick. He would stay for a day, two at most. He just needed to get a look around. Maybe being on sight would allow him to figure out why all his equipment crashed.

He was going to take precautions of course.

When he needed a break from the computer crashes he would work on specially adjusting equipment. He had made things before to fit the other types of races that were part of the LEP and go in the field. A centaur wasn't one of them. He knew it was going to be hard for someone of his dimensions to go in a shuttle,

After shoving all the necessary things into a handy little bag which he slung over his shoulder he left his office and made sure to lock it behind him. There were to many valuable secrets in here that many would like to get their hands on. Things he needed to keep protected.

He sighed and began to walk towards Commander Trouble's office. Ever since the death of Root he had taken charge of things and did a fine job running everything. He was a man to be respected after all.

On the way, the faint aromas of someone's lunch drifted under the centaur's nose and he paused and took a deep breath, closing his eyes in ecstasy as the spicy scent teased his senses.

_NO. Take care of this first…eat on the shuttle._

It was a firm command, one he really did not want to listen to, but this was going to take a lot of convincing to get Trouble Kelp to let him go above surface. He was confident he would be able to do it. One of the reasons he was denying himself food at the moment was to keep his appearance haggard.

A few of the LEP who passed him looked at him and paused. "You need a vacation Foaly!" was most of their comments and that just made him smile secretly as he continued on his way.

Yes… a vacation. And that was exactly his plan. He may have looked physically unfit but his mind was as clear as a whistle. As soon as he got clearance to go to the surface on his own he was going to gore himself with all of his favorite foods.

He just had to remember not to make himself sick during the flight.

"Hello Hagrid!" Harry and Ron said simultaneously as the large half-giant answered the door. A smile brightened on his face as his favorite students came to visit. "Come in, come in.. shut it Fang!" he said and turned to his large dog and grabbed him around collar and pulled him back so Harry and Ron could come in and take a seat at his table without being tackled.

"Where's 'Ermoine?" Hagrid asked once he released Fang and turned to face Harry and Ron. The two of them shared a look as Hagrid walked towards them, mumbling angrily under his breath. "I suppose I'm not important enough for her to visit anymore!" he said with a mixture of anger and hurt in his voice and began to busy himself by putting a kettle on the stove.

"Hagrid…It's not like that. Hermoine is reviewing her school work." Harry said as he defended his friend gently. "If you three bothered to take my class she wouldn't have to bother with it.." Hagrid mumbled under his breath.

"Come on Hagrid! We are busy now, with a lot of homework! We really wanted to take your class but anymore and we would die!" Ron said and looked at Hagrid with a desperate look.

"Care of Magical Creatures isn't required to be an auror now is it." Hagrid said almost bitterly. "Hagrid…" Harry said, putting his hand on Hagrid's shoulder. It seemed so small in comparision.

"You know we value your friendship! You were the one to first rescue me from the Dursleys after all." Harry said, his words causing a small smile to crack over Hagrid's callused features.

Before Hagrid could reply the kettle began to scream loudly as steam rushed over the top. "Oops!" Hagrid exclaimed and shot up and rushed to the pot. "Hot hot hot!" he muttered as he removed it from the flame. "I made some rock cakes, would you like to stay for tea?" Hagrid asked them pleasantly.

"Uh…. It's alright. We have to get going. " Ron said and stood up. Harry nodded his head and smiled. "We er… need to get back to Hermoine and make sure she doesn't over work herself." Harry said and nodded his head. "We'll see you later!" Ron said and together he and Harry waved and exited as fast as they could without seeming rude.

Hagrid walked to his door and watched them head back to the castle and waved. "Alright you two! Oh, and if you can try to stay out of Firenze's way! He's been in an odd mood lately!" Hagrid called after them.

Indeed, the centaur had been acting oddly lately. He had been spending more time then usual outside at night gazing at the stars . He didn't even tell Hagrid what was troubling him. But Hagrid could tell by studying his grim face that he was seeing something he didn't like in the stars.

* * *

Hmm..I came out with this next chapter awfully fast. And might I tell you how happy it was when I saw that my last one was reviewed!

**Silverfingers**: I'm glad you like it. I came up with the whole plot when I was trying to go to bed. And the last one was all centered because….er… well I'm not going to lie to you. I was just fooling around with all the buttons and stuff. Thanks for the Review! D


	3. Chapter 3

Ah, this chapter took a little longer to come up with. I've been busy and school is starting soon! Anyway, I hope you enjoy it. None of the characters belong to me of course. (That is the disclaimer by the way.)

There are no appearances of any of the Harry Potter gang in this one; many people were asking for Artemis. You wanted Artemis, you got him!

* * *

Foaly rapped his fist on the door, right next to the proud gleaming plate that read "Commander Trouble" . "Come in!" The voice that answered was so different then Root's old gruff greeting. And when Foaly opened the door he wasn't hit by a blast of smoke from a even fouler cigar. Another reminder that Root was gone….. damn Opal and her tricks. Even though time had passed since that fateful day, Root was still alive in everyone's minds and hearts.

Foaly entered the office and closed the door behind him. Trouble had looked up from his desk the instant he heard the soft clip-clop of hooves, his face was a mixture of astonishment and happiness- both of the emotions caused by the fact that Foaly had left his office and looked positively horrible.

"Foaly! What are you doing to yourself! You are working yourself to death!" Commander Trouble said as he studied the centaur. He knew that Foaly was one of the greatest things the fairies had. It was his genius that kept the humans from discovering them for so long and he had played major parts in every adventure that that mud boy Artemis kept popping up in. Having one of their best men so dangerously ill was not a smart move.

Foaly gave him a smile and folded his hands in front of him. He was a little nervous, but he hid it well. He didn't want anyone to know his real reason for going above surface… he would of told Holly but she never picked up the phone. It was too late to take shuttles to the surface now, but he planned to go in the morning. This night he would spend it preparing and gathering everything he needed….that is of course if this went well.

"That's what I wanted to talk to you about." Foaly said.

"You want a vacation, take a week off, go home and get some sleep. " Commander Trouble said and pushed back on his desk to push his seat back and rise to his feet. A week may have been a while for Foaly to be gone but he needed it. He wasn't much help in poor health. Besides, Foaly was his friend….sort of. He cared about Foaly at least. And he could only imagine Holly's angry face yelling at him for working him to death. He winced lightly at the thought of the spit-fire girl, but all thoughts of Holly vanished from his head when Foaly shook his head.

"No, I only need two days…. On the surface." Foaly said, holding up two fingers which also happened to form the 'peace' sign. Maybe he did that so Commander Trouble wouldn't be too astonished and give an out right no like Commander Root would of done. The only time Foaly had been to the surface was when Artemis had kidnapped Holly and he needed to be on site. He didn't get to see much of the mud man's world then, only one rich family's manor in the same time frame. He didn't even get the chance to see the stars….

"What! The surface? Foaly you can have a perfectly good vacation right here in the city! Why do you need to get to the surface?" Commander Trouble said. By this time his eyes were as wide as dish plates as he stared openly at the centaur. Foaly seemed to be acting like a very spoiled child at the moment. He knew he was important and valued…but would he really use that to influence this?

But of course.

Foaly sighed and lowered his hands. "Having me gone for a week is a bit long…who knows what will happen then. And don't you think I've _deserved_ a nice vacation after all I've done…." He smiled sympathetically at poor Trouble. "And what will the media think if they knew you were working the genius behind the LEP to death… what will _Holly_ think?"

Commander Trouble's face paled at the subtle threats. He was cornered…and he knew it. But Foaly was smart… maybe he could talk some sense into him. "But… getting you above and below surface is so…_hard_." He said, stressing the word.

Foaly sniffed indifferently. "But it wasn't too hard when I was needed with the Fowl business." He pouted. Trouble sighed angrily. "That was…different." He said. It was getting harder and harder for him to keep from getting angry. Foaly was just so….difficult!

"I need a break! Some fresh air will do me good. You let other members of the LEP take vacations of the surface. The only reason you aren't letting me go is because I'm a centaur…do you not like centaurs?" he asked , laying the simple undertones of a lawsuit and trouble if he didn't get his way.

Trouble sighed and sank back into his chair…his favorite chair. It seemed to take away all the stress that Foaly just placed on his shoulders. He saw now that it would be so much easier for everyone if he just let Foaly go to the surface. But since when had he become so selfish?

"Where do you need to go? You can't exactly prance around Disney World like the others." He said in defeat.

"Scotland."

"Scotland! Foaly…come on! This isn't like you. Why don't you go to Ireland instead?" he said, trying to reason with the difficult centaur but Foaly shook his head stubbornly.

"It's only Scotland, and I'm only going to a forest for only two days. I really need the break…" he said and did his best to look as pitiful and pathetic as possible.

Perhaps if he was dealing with Commander Root it wouldn't of worked. He would of seen right through his façade and sent his scrawny centaur butt sprawling. But this wasn't Commander Root no matter how many people wished he would come back. But this was Commander Trouble. They were both good commanders, one just had a softer heart.

"I want you bringing all your gadget things, got it Foaly? If you get yourself sighted by a mud man I swear…." Trouble ordered and looked at the centaur sternly. "And how are you going to be getting around anyway?" he asked suspiciously. This was the kind of trip that you had to plan for a long time. He trusted Foaly enough to realize this wasn't a spur of the moment type thing.

"You can't exactly use your wings." He said, referring to the ones Foaly makes for the other members of the LEP. "I know that!" Foaly spat miserably. He had the feeling that he was being mocked with that comment…and he was. "I've got it all planner out, alright? I just need a shuttle tomorrow morning." Foaly said correcting his tone. He didn't want to piss off Trouble just as he got his way.

"Bright and early?" He questioned.

"Bright and early." Foaly said with a nod of his head.

Trouble smiled, and then Foaly. They had come to an agreement at last.

Trouble's friend was going to get himself back into tip top health with a badly needed break (At least he thought so. He didn't know what Foaly was really planning.) And Foaly was going to be able to find out if there are other centaurs living among the mud men and if there were, he of course was going to get them out of there and below surface.

That would be quite a surprise for Trouble to face… a whole new herd of centaurs. Foaly could only imagine the look on his face though….Root's would have been more comical.

He turned and walked out of the office, leaving Trouble to do his work. Everything was different now… he needed to get use to Root being gone but… his was a presence that wasn't easily forgotten.

* * *

Some teenagers like to play sports. They try out for football, soccer, baseball, lacrosse and many others. Others just play sports for fun like snowboarding, skateboarding and surfing. Then again, some teenagers don't like to play sports at all. They are too focused on friends, girlfriends, boyfriends, their jobs, and other things. If I was to write it all out the list would be endless. They like computers, talking on the phone, playing video games- normal teenage stuff.

But whoever said Artemis Fowl was normal?

Though he was on the computer, which could be seen as normal thing for teenagers his age to do, exactly what he was doing wasn't that normal. He wasn't chatting with friends on line (indeed the few friends he had he wouldn't be able to talk to through the online world. Besides, he had Butler), nor was he playing a video game. He was playing chess.

He had stopped bothering to find people to play with in real life. That tended to get boring when they severly underestimated him and were careless. But this world was chess was better. The players were ranked by their past history so it was very easy to find advanced players. Right now, he was in a game with one of them yet growing severly annoyed. And not because he was loosing, no Artemis never lost.

The pale boy sat in front of his computer desk as he stared at his screen studying the possible moves and planning a strategy in his mind. Unfortunately his sharp eyes would keep getting distracted by a little box that was next to the digital board. In this box, the two opponents can talk to each other. "hello_!1 r u gonna move?_" the same message kept coming over and over again until it was just shortened to "_hello?_" over and over…

It was quite annoying. Especially since " r" and "u" were words. He was beginning to doubt this game's rating of "advances players". He sighed in defeat and closed his eyes and massaged his temples. This fourteen year old boy really looked much older then what he really was, and it wasn't just the custom suit. It was the manner he held himself, the way he spoke and the way he moved.

It screamed rich, cunning, and smarter then you. But that was because he was. He was rich (He had a nice chunk of fairy gold after all), and he was cunning. And chances were good that he was smarter then everyone in his age bracket, and those above his age as well. But that was a bad thing when you were looking for a decent game of chess.

At last, he moved a pawn. "_finally!_ " his opponent typed in response. Artemis stayed silent. He didn't want to encourage their chatty tendencies and give himself a further headache of trying to understand what they were saying. Instead, he sunk back into his plush leather chair.

He was currently in one of the many offices of Fowl Manner. It was a smaller room, but cozy none the less. The lights were dimmed which cast everything in a warm glow. The walls were lined with leather back books, the pages lined with gold to give it a beautiful shine. The wooden floors where covered with a deep red Arabian rug with intricate designs of gold and dark blue. Everything had a sort of old look to it, until you looked at the laptop. It was one of the best out there and a newer model.

Though you couldn't find another laptop like that anywhere like it in the world. This one had special… qualities. Fairy qualities, though things have been slow in the Fairy world. Holly did promise to call when she needed help but as yet to do so. This meant that there was no goblin rebellion, that Opal was gone for good and that nothing else was going seriously wrong. Times were peaceful…and he hated it.

His opponent moved their knight. "_ur turn slowpoke_!"

But Artemis wasn't slow anymore. Now that he had his strategy planned out in his head he knew each and every move he had to make.

"_lol ur so stupid!" _

Artemis smirked and watched as they caught his pawn with the knight they had moved out.

"_another stupid move! ive got ur rook now!" _

Ah…victory will be sweet. He may of sacrificed another pawn but it takes sacrifices to really get what you want.

"_Dude? R u sure ur advanced?" _

Indeed… Artemis had made many sacrifices.

"_ur boring me! i gonna hurry up and finish this game. " _

But all his sacrifices where worth it in the end, he did have his mother and father back now. Butler was alive (though oddly aged). He had to thank the fairies for all of this though.

"_hahahah! ur gonna lose!" _

Mostly Holly. The other fairies didn't seem to trust him fully. They did trust him after all he did to help though. He saved their butts how many times? But they had saved his the same amount.. maybe even more.

"Arty?" the ever worried of the voice of his mother called. "Arty, come outside to the sun! Get out of that office and enjoy some lemonade with me and your father!"

He sighed. Oh yes, he really owed the fairies a whole lot. Well.. now that he had to go he might as well end this now. He only needed to make one move, a very simple move.

"_I do believe my illiterate friend, that is check mate. "_ That was the first, and last, thing he ever said to his now defeated opponent.

"Arty?"

"Coming!" he shouted back to his mother and turned off his computer, a smug look on his face. The only problem with playing people over the internet was he was no longer able to see their actual reaction when they lost; the look on their face.

But he saw it so many times in his life, he had beaten so many better foes. He could imagine the look on the other's face. Obviously they had a lot to learn about life.

Chess was like less, you have to give things up if you ever want to win the big prize that makes it all worth while.

* * *

**Lovemehatemejustdon'tfearme:** I haven't formatted it like that again because of the oddness…hehehe.. I'm glad you liked it and I hope that as things go along it only gets more intriguing.

**Hogwartssharmed1: **My updating speed might get a bit slow due to the fact school is approaching!

**Helltanz98:** Artemis has now been introduced. And thanks you for correcting my mistake, I knew when I was writing that one part that it was a little odd and it should have been "gods".

**Sponge-fan:** Reading your review made me smile….a lot. I'm so glad that you like it that much! And you will see later on if Foaly is or not. I can't give anything away after all. And everyone will meet eventually… as in… the next chapter!

**Summer.snoboardr: **I thought that was an interesting way to do it as well, connecting them with the centaurs.

**ProfRasah:** Hehehe… thanks. I'm glad you like it a lot!

**Marz1**: Foaly was brought to the surface before, in the first book so I know it's possible. They never really went into a lot of detail though, and neither am I. ;;


	4. Chapter 4

Note from the Author:

Hmm… How can I explain the super long wait in between my chapters? Well… I'm not going to give you an excuse. I'm plain old lazy! But to my surprise I kept getting reviews. So this chapter goes out to all who review!

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters! The plot though, the plot is all mine! (So that means no Dalek gun I am not J.K. Rowling or Eion.. or both. )

I wasn't quite sure how to tackle Foaly's trip to the surface, and I have a feeling no one really wants to read that and are more eager to move along so I'm going to skip over that part. I'm going to start working to make the lengths of the chapters longer, but that won't happen all at once.

* * *

Twigs and leaves snapped and rustled underneath solid hooves. Foaly was in a forest now, The Forbidden forest to be more exact but he didn't know that. He didn't know what it was called, or what was in here. He just new that he was walking in the general direction he needed to go in that his signal always died out in. He was going on luck and chance, and he could very well miss it and never realize. He might have already missed it! It was to late now though to turn back. He knew the centaurs were somewhere in these woods, but where exactly he didn't know. So he would just wander and search until he came across a lucky break. A break being that he didn't break his damn legs walking tonight. It was a bit chilly and a low fog hung around the ground and he had already stumbled a few times on this uneven surface. Despite the fog on the ground though the night sky was bright and clear, the moon shining brightly down on him and the stars struggling to be seen. He didn't look up often though. The sky held no importance. He had his eyes looking hard on the ground, his iris cam helping him to pierce the fog. Now and then his connection back to the LEP would buzz in his ear, as they checked up on him.

"They think I'm a baby." He thought bitterly to himself as he pushed aside a branch and continued on his way.

He sighed and paused for a moment and wiped the sweat from his brow. He didn't get out much… and he defiantly couldn't remember a time that he had walked this far. In his moment of rest he heard a rustling to the side and turned his head towards the noise. There wasn't anything there… but he could have sworn he heard something. How odd… how odd indeed. Maybe it was just a mouse. Nothing to worry about. If it was a human, it didn't matter. He was cloaked in latest fairy technology of course. Centaurs didn't have magic like the fairies but this was good enough and made him invisible to their eye. So he was free to go on his way and explore the woods like he properly wanted to.

At least… that's what he thought. He was ignorant to the wizarding world that he was treading so closely to know. He didn't know of the werewolves, vampires, giants, and other deadly creatures in this part of the word. Even the people here could poise as a threat to him. By this I mean the one and only Lord Voldemort and his loyal Death Eaters. So far he had been very lucky in his search. One would have expected to run into all sorts of nasty creatures by this time. He hadn't even come across one spider! Or one centaur… which is what he really wanted.

He was getting tired to. He hadn't been able to sleep in the shuttle (D'uh) and the minute it reached the surface he checked in with the LEP and went on his way. He had been walking for a few hours now and growing tired and loosing hope fast. He just wanted a sign! A sign to know he was going in the right direction and that he wasn't on a wild goose chase. He was especially getting annoyed by the fact that the further he walked the odder his equipment seemed to work. His iris cam was actually irritating his eye! Such an impossible thing! His technology being less then perfect! It must be the cold weather or something. . . maybe his lack of sleep was stressing his eye? It had to be him and not his technology. Though the cold weather and lack of sleep didn't explain why he would start hearing buzzing from the LEP But not be able to make out anything they say… maybe he was hearing things? He just wanted a sign to give him hope before he gave up!

Would he get that sign? Why, was a troll stupid and violent! Of course! A troll was very stupid and violent so of course his sign would come in a very large way. It wasn't very clear to him at first, in fact when he first started to notice it he was very prepared to turn around and walk in the opposite direction as the woods began to thin a bit. But he kept going in the direction, the thinning of the trees didn't necessarily mean the end of the forest. It could just mean a valley. And Centaurs like to hang out in valleys… right? If not it would make a good place to rest.

But oh what a surprise he received when he reached the ends of the woods. It wasn't a valley, oh no oh no. It was a large lake and behind it… an even larger school. "What! I don't understand! Why didn't I pick up on this school! It's so large how can the mudmen hide it! What's going on!" his thoughts ran wild and quickly, and would have kept running if his brain didn't shut down. That wasn't his fault though. He didn't realize at first that this was the very spot all his technology would short circuit on. And that was exactly what his iris cam had done. But an iris cam was hooked up to ones brain (How else did you expect it to measure one's heart beat, temperature, etc. ?) and when it short circuited, well so did Foaly.

But do not fear, no harm came to our little horsey friend. He was just knocked out cold for a very unfortunate period of time. And until that time was up he would lay on the ground, getting the sleep he needed. To bad it had to be so forced onto him. But maybe he wouldn't be laying there for long. Not only did his iris cam short out, but so did the rest of his technology, even the cloaking one leaving him revealed to spying eyes. To bad he was so far away from the school.

* * *

Harry and Ron had long ago made their way back to their dorm. It was after hours now, and all students were required to be in bed. It was one of the better known rules and not one of Filch's ridiculous ones that no one could ever remember. Hermoine didn't even try. And though Hermoine may be the 'perfect' student that didn't always mean she wasn't a rule breaker from time to time. But the rule breaking was mostly a cause of her two best friends, Harry and Ron who didn't stress the rules as much as she did. And that's how she found herself out on the school grounds underneath the infamous invisibility cloak with Harry and Ron.

"Do we have to be out here in the middle of the night?" she hissed under her breath. She herself was tired and a tad bit cranky. She wanted to go to bed early and not be dragged out to go to Hagrid's hut! And she really didn't want to be carrying such a large cake in her arms. A "I'm sorry" gift for Hagrid snitched from the kitchens.

"Yes. We haven't seen him in a while and he feels bad." Harry replied.

"But why in the middle of the night when he will be sleeping!" Hermoine argued back.

"Well we are leaving it on his porch for him to get when he wakes up." Ron replied.

"Cake for breakfast! Couldn't you give it to him after lunch? And stop stepping on my toes!" she said back.

There was silence and Hermoine groaned under her breath, frustrated. "You just don't want to face him do you?" she said coldly.

"What! You weren't there earlier! He tore me and Harry apart!" Ron said in his defense.

Before Hermoine could reply Harry shushed them both. "We're almost there." He said. The two drew quiet as they got close to the dark hut. "Let's get this over with…" Hermoine muttered as Harry and Ron stood a little distance away. She ducked under the arms and out from under the invisibility cloak, running towards Hagrid's door with the covered cake in her arms. She placed it in front of his door and said a short prayer that Fang wouldn't find it first. She turned and went to hurry back to Harry and Ron when a movement caught her eye to the side. She looked towards the Forbidden forest just in time to see the last glimpse of some figure fall. It looked like a man!

"Harry! Ron!" she called quietly. as she can, the urgency in her voice clear. What was a man doing out at night so close to the forest! She doubted it was a muggle, it had to be a wizard! And why did he pass out like that? Was he attacked! They had to help!

"What is it?" Harry asked when he and Ron reached her. He took the cloak off of the both of them, the tall boys looking down at their wide-eyed friend.

"I saw a man fall, near the woods! Come on!" she said and drew her wand. Harry and Ron shot each other a look, both thinking the same thing.

Voldemort.

None the less they to drew their wands and quickly ran after Hermoine who had cast Lumos and was now searching through the light fog that formed at the woods for the fallen man.

A gasp revealed that she had found it, and that it wasn't a man after all.

"Get Hagrid! We need to get him to Madam Pomphrey!"

* * *

Night turned to day in both Scotland, but more importantly, in Holly's neck of the woods. She was greeted to a very nice morning of a freash healthy breakfast and clean water. She loved mornings. It was her only time to herself now a days. Mulch enjoyed sleeping in. Holly took advantage of that fact and took her baths in the morning and got a start on the day. Usually her mornings are peaceful, hassle free.

But that ended when she listened to her messages and she was greeted with the tired voice of Foaly. That pretty much shot her nearly-perfect-only-missing-the-morning-birds morning down the crapper. "What's Foaly up to know!" She thought as she hurried to call him. Hopefully he didn't leave yet… what was he up to! She wanted to know… this couldn't be good.

It got even worse when the damn centaur didn't pick up his phone in his office. So she did the next best thing. She called LEP headquarters. She had the number to get directly into Trouble's office. That number wasn't given out to just everyone. If it was the poor guy would never have a moment of peace without the ringing of his phone. This was also a plus because when his phone rang, he would always pick it up because it was always important.

"Good morning, Commander Trouble speaking."

"It's Holly."

"Oh Holley!" his voice sounded cheered at once and more personal then his professional greeting that only changed with the time of day. From Good morning, to Good afternoon, to Good night.

"Where's Foaly? He left me an odd message last night." Holly replied. "Sometime about… centaurs?"

"What? He's on vacation. He didn't say anything about centaurs to me. He looked damned tired though."

"Vacation? Where?" she asked.

"For some odd reason he persisted to go to Scotland."

"Scotland! On the surface?"

"There is no underground called Scotland, is there?" The sarcasm was clear.

"Well… can you connect me to him?"

"Uh…." He sounded nervous as he flinched. This wasn't going to be good.

"Uh what?" she said, her eyes narrowing.

"Well… we lost contact with him last night. We can't seem to reach him. . . "

"What! And you aren't doing anything!" Holly was mad… very mad. And worried. She was already worried when she heard the message. But now Foaly went ahead with his plans without her! What the hell was going on!

"Well.. he's a big boy. And his stuff doesn't just break. He just turned it off to enjoy his vacation. We were calling in on him every half hour…"

"Where was his last position that you were able to read?"

"In a forest in Scotland. We couldn't get very precise readings."

Holley hung up, furious. Precise readings! Foaly's technology always gave precise readings! Even he couldn't stop it from doing that! Was Trouble so dense that he couldn't see that something fishy was going on? That … that… that idiot!

She was going to have to investigate this for herself. She didn't trust the LEP to do it right, they already messed up and couldn't realize it. But she couldn't go at this alone. Nor could she do it with just Mulch. She would need the help of a very certain mudman… one she had on speed dial.

* * *

Marz1: Yes Foaly is going to crash in Hogwarts and what a crash he made!

Sponge-Fan: I'm glad you liked the last one so much! So sorry for the long wait. Metaphors are great, aren't they :D

Holly Short Rox:D

Outthere101: Uh…. Hi to you too.

Peeves: I wrote the next chapter! Sorry for the uber long wait!

Bookishobsessed: I usually do put in a separate, that last time was a mistake. Oops.

Merely A Dark Lord: Well know! I hope I live up to your high standards!

RealFanFicts: Oh! I'm glad you liked it so much. I didn't think my crossover would be so popular. xD

Miney: Yes! Go plots, grammar, and spelling! Woo!

SilverFingers16: I'm 16 and I think I would say that. And we all would have liked to punch his annoying opponent.


	5. Chapter 5

Finals, string of birthdays in a row and mono OO

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All respectful rights go to the respectful owners.

* * *

Dinner out in the back porch had past slowly. Artemis almost felt out of place amongst his mother and father. Ever since they had been reunited after all the problems that had befallen them they had been acting like newlyweds. It was reassuring to sit on a chair looking over the Fowl Land in the warm summer night while out of the corner of his eye he would occasionally glance at his parents. Now and then a thought struck him while he did this, one he would never of considered if he had never met the fairy folk… would he ever find someone like his father found his mother?

Before coming across the fairies and in a sense growing a conscious the young teenager would never have thought such a thing. Hormones just seemed to send everyone but him into a whirr around valentine's day, and he always thought the whole thing was….well.. silly. He never understood how all those boys would fall so hard for the younger Butler, why they would waste money with gifts for her and why they made themselves look like such fools in front of her. He use to ridicule them silently to himself when they use to come calling but now… when he saw them he would rack hid mind about what possessed them to act in such a manner. He didn't like it very much when they came around anymore and would sneak off into his room, which suited the lovebirds just fine.

He sighed and closed his eyes as he took on the sounds of the night, willing his mind to think of less pleasant things. He could hear the occasional giggles of his mother and the chuckle of his father, and the concert the crickets kindly provided them. Nothing seemed out of place in this natural scene. It was perfect… in every single way… until…

_Bzzzz...bzzz….Bzzz…_

Artemis jumped in his seat his hands scrambling for his pocket. He didn't get calls very often anymore, only from his parents (and it couldn't be them, they were seated right next to him), or from Butler. It could be possiblely be from Butler but the other one person it could be sent his heart racing. "_Can it be… finally! After all this time!"_ he thought with a new light appearing in his eyes.

"Oh Arty, please put that away. And enjoy the moment with me and your father. You hardly touched your lemonade." His mother pleaded. He was tempted to say yes but a call from the fairy folk… from Holley.. this was important! "I'm sorry mother, father. Raincheck?" he offered kindly and rose from his seat and briskly walked back indoors. His mother tossed a look at her husband and sighed. "He's so serious and always worried with business… I had hoped that once you returned he would be more his age…" she said sadly. "Now, now my dear. Artemis is special and you know that. For all we knew it could be a girlfriend calling." He said with a smile. Angela smiled sadly "_If only if only…_" she mused to herself.

Once inside the kitchen Artemis cast a quick look around the kitchen and composed himself. How embarrassing would it be if she would be able to hear the excitement in his voice. "Hello….no…Hello" he said more firmly. "I sound to harsh… Hello… hm… that will have to do." He said after testing out the best way to answer the phone. He cleared his throat and answered the call. "Hello?" "That boring without us h'uh." Damn it… how could she tell? Ah well, it was Holley! The fairies! He knew he had missed their kind, some of his first friends.

"Maybe. What's going on?" He heard a heavy sigh on the other line. "Nothing to big… Foaly just got permission to go to Scotland and went missing all the sudden. His last coordinates were in some forest." He could hear the edge on her voice. Foaly was one of her closest friends after all, the centaur had done so much for her through the years. And now he was missing…. "Alright, give me the coordinates." "Not… over the phone alright. I'm really not permitted to go on this mission let alone with you but… who's to know?" "In person?" "Tonight, me and Mulch will be there at midnight. Have Butler ready. I don't know how long we'll be gone for so make some sort of excuse for your parents. " "Alright." "Alright. See you then…Thanks."

_Click_

He stared at the phone for a moment, blinking at the small black item in his hand. It was almost so… surreal. He shook his head lightly and placed the seemingly ordinary item back into his pocket before stalking off down the hall. "_I wonder where Butler got to… he's got to pack and I need to do some research. Scotland… what could Foaly want in Scotland!"_

Now that was a puzzle worthy of Artemis Fowl.

* * *

The fire blazed warmly in the Gryfindor common room. At this hour only a few were still awake, like the Hogwarts infamous trio plus on or two stranglers. Harry, Ron and Hermoine huddled close in a circle to one another, the news of the strange centaur filling them with confusion and questions that none of them could answer but they sure as hell could try.

"What do you think happened to him?"

"Was he kicked out the same way Firenze was?"

"Its possible then what did he do to get the rest of them so mad?"

"I don't know, but I don't think we'll know until he wakes up."

"Hm… do you think he's awake yet.."

"There's only one way to check."

Harry and Ron stared at Hermoine. They could hardly believe that she was the one suggesting such a thing, sneaking out in the middle of the night…. But Harry and Ron weren't going to argue with her. They were both thinking the same exact thing but just didn't know how to bring it up. Hermoine was such a stickler for the rules.

"I'll go get my cloak." Harry whispered and started to get up.

"Wait!" Hermoine hissed and grabbed his arm and yanked him back down. "Wait till everyone is _gone_ first." She hissed through gritted teeth. They all scanned the common room to note three more Gryfindors still hanging around. There was a third year bent over a desk scribbling ferociously on parchment in the dim light, only pausing to yawn and stretch. Then there was a seventh year couple cuddled in front of the fire. Besides them the room was empty.

"Well this shouldn't take to long.." Ron muttered to himself.

* * *

Artemis and Butler stood out in the front of the Fowl Manor. It was five to midnight but looking at how alert these two were you would think it was five to noon. It had taken quite a bit of weaseling on Artemis's part to think up of a decent enough excuse for his mother. A special leadership seminar for the brightest of Ireland. Of course she wanted to see him off, to research the place, yadda yadda. It was all fairly messy and he was still patting his back in accomplishment for being able to sneak away in the middle of the night. His parents have gotten so much harder to deal with since they were back together. Acting like normal parents of average kids! Honestly how could anyone manage with such thing.

Butler didn't need such an excuse. It was a given that wherever Artemis goes he goes. That afternoon he had been busy packing a variety of tools that they might need. If they were dealing completely with the fairy folk though then none of it would be operational around their powerful magic. But Artemis did say Scotland and as far as he knew Scotland wasn't a particularly magical place.

"Were you able to uncover anything about why Foaly would want to go to Scotland?" Butler asked and looked over to his pale faced friend.

Artemis shook his head lightly. He looked puzzled and his forehead crinkled in such a way that if he didn't stop that habit it would be littered with wrinkles soon enough. "Scotland had its fair of odd news, and seems to be favored owl area for flying, bird watchers go there often to observe them but funny enough some of them go missing. I never though bird watching could be such a dangerous sport." He said with a sigh.

"What does that have to do with Foaly?" Butler asked Artemis sighed and shook his head.

"I don't know… I just don't kno-"

Out of the corner of his eye he noticed a shimmer in the air. He paused and turned his head and did his best to contain his smile though a small smirk snuck out. But that was alright, even before he met Holly he did his fair share of smirking.

There was a thump as two forms came into view, one holding his head in pain. "You crazy elf girl! Why did you drop me!" Mulch sad angrily. Holly shot him back an innocent look which Artemis took to mean that she was 100 guilty. "Why did you have to relieve gas all the way here?" she asked calmly.

"I'm a dwarf! It's what dwarves do!"

"Not in front of ladies."

"You're a lady?"

"Watch it Mulch!"

"Aye! You don't have to kick me! Crazy Elf Girl!"

"Good evening, it's nice to see you two again. I see that you are both… well." Artemis said, interrupting the oh so not interesting argument.

The four exchanged pleasantries before they got down to the real business.

"So what happened." Butler asked.

Holly's eyes glazed with determination when she told them what she knew, which unfortunately was such a small amount of information to start with. After she finished there was a moment of silence as everyone's heads churned with the information. Well… only Artemis was silent for that reason the rest were waiting to hear what he said they should do.

"Well…" he began and ignored the eager stares in his direction. He scratched his chin lightly as he thought. Under his fingers he could feel the starting of a rough patch of hair that was as of now unnoticeable to the eye…but he could feel it.. it was there… He sighed and lowered his hand.

"I think we need to go to those coordinates you have. How do you plan to take us all to Scotland?" he asked, and regretted asking at once when he saw the flash in Holly's eyes.

"You've traveled with the use of my moon belt before have you not? Under the cloak of our technology." Artemis paled as he and mulch eyed Butler worriedly. "True but not with Butler." He pointed out.

"We all make sacrifices." She grinned.

"Everyone except for the crazy elf girl with the wings." Mulch muttered darkly under his breath.

"Come on, we better get started. It's a long way to Scotland from here." Holly grinned, ignoring the comment.

"_Crazy Elf Girl_" Artemis thought to himself.

* * *

Under the cloak of the invisibility cloak Harry, Ron and Hermoine made their way to their strange new guest. They walked slowly and in silence, not wanting to create any sound that would bring notice to themselves. They never would have imaged how long it would take for that damn kid to finish his essay. They were just about to send Hermoine over to do it for him when the boy triumphantly threw down his quill and rolled up the parchment before bounding up the boy's staircases without a look back .

"Bloody hell! I don't know if I should feel sorry for that kid or want to beat him up for taking so long!" Ron muttered right before they left.

"Harry… I think the coast is clear." Hermoine whispered when they stood right outside the door to the infirmary.

"Alright." He whispered back and removed the cloak. Ron stepped forward to open the door.

"What are you three doing out this late?"

All three guilty students jumped and whirred around. "Firenze!" Hermoine gasped.

"We were…uh…" Harry gulped.

Firenze smiled kindly and shook his head. "Don't worry, knowing you three you were all probably up to something…but nothing bad. I hope." He said.

Three relieved smiles spread over their features (none greater then Hermoine's). "What are you doing up so late? " Hermoine asked.

"Looking at the stars, but that isn't important. What about you three? " He asked, quirking his eyebrow questionably.

"I uh.. guess you haven't heard. " Ron said and looked out of the corner of his eye at Hermoine and Harry.

"We found a centaur, past out at the edge of the woods."

* * *

I'm so sorry for the long wait. Yech. I feel like this wasn't one of my best works but I'm going to try harder!


	6. Chapter 6

I promised I'd update! Thanks everyone for the reads and reviews, keep it up! Disclaimer: All I own is the plot.

* * *

The hospital wing was nearly empty, for once. It seemed to be the first time in years that Hogwarts had gone without a student earning some terrible ailment that required them to go for a stay in one of these infamous beds. That didn't mean that Hogwarts was completely injury free, on no no no. Getting the cuts and scrapes and extra noses was part of the experience! But at the moment the only person (if you'd call him that) was dozing at the end of the wing.

It had been a bit tricky to set up a bed for him. The horse part of him was to heavy for any of the bed, and they didn't want to let him sleep on the cold hard ground. Thank god for magic. One of the beds were simply enlarged and reinforced and Foaly was laid across it with numerous pillows supporting him in various places. It didn't look like the most comfortable way to sleep but at the moment it was the only way they were able to figure out for the centaur.

"That's… that's him?" Firenze asked in a hushed voice. The four had entered the wing quietly and were speaking in low voices as to not wake up their guest. They approached the large bed silently and each studied the centaur with a different thought in their head.

"Yep." Ron answered and remembered the huge rush to get him up here.

Hermoine rolled her eyes. "_I doubt any other centaurs were found late this night. Sigh… Why do I put up with Ron sometimes? He can be so stupid." _She glanced over at him and blushed lightly before looking back at the centaur. "_Hmph…"_

"_He's smaller then Firenze is… and the other centaurs that I've seen. Paler too."_ Harry glanced over to Firenze who was scratching the collection of hair on his chin in thought. "_Firenze's hands are callused and his hooves are worn and chipped. This new centaur doesn't look that much younger then him yet it looks like he lived a sheltered life._"

"_Hm… I wonder what Hermoine is thinking about. Did she look at me before? I wonder why she wanted to come out here so bad…_" Ron shook his head lightly his infamous red hair flying over his eyes as he did so.

"_This… this is the centaur. He's not from my cla- my **old** clan. Where is he from? I need to talk to him when he wakes up. Can he really be the one I've been seeing in the stars." _Out of all the thoughts in the room Firenze's was probably the most serious and he was the most worried.

Hermoine glanced around the bed when her eyes fell on the nightstand. "What are those?" she asked and pointed over to it. Ron, who was closest, walked over to it and looked at the objects oddly. "I don't know. " he said to her. He picked up one of the things, a fleshy little ball the same shade of Foaly's skin . "Wonder what the bloody hell is this.." he asked out loud.

"Ron! Don't touch that! It's probably his!" Hermoine admonished. She hurried over to him and slapped his hand, causing him to drop it back on the nightstand.

"Bloody hell! You didn't have to hit!" he said feeling embarrassed.

"Be quiet, you're getting to loud." Harry hissed. He glanced over at Foaly to check to make sure he was still sleeping. "_He was probably given a sleeping drought._" He thought to himself.

"That kind of looks like a hearing aid… and the other two things colored contacts…" Hermoine mused to herself as she studied the items closer.

"… A what now?" Ron asked. Unlike his father he didn't take the time to endless study interesting human gadget because he didn't find them to be very interesting. It was a trait that didn't run in the family.

"Contacts… I always wanted a pair." Harry smiled sadly to himself as he remembered all those years with broken glasses taped up.. "They are these things that muggles put in their eyes to correct their vision. It isn't permanent but it works."

"And a hearing aid is something muggles who have bad hearing put in their hear to help them hear better. My grandfather has one." Hermoine explained.

Ron studied the two items. "Spells are easier. "

"They're muggles Ron." Hermoine added with a roll of her eyes, though she had to admit spells were easier. It's why she let Madam Pomfrey shrink her front teeth instead of going through the hassle of braces.

"You think he was using a muggle device?" Firenze said suddenly. "_Is that what the stars were trying to say, that the humans and the world of magic would meet at last?_"

"He was found with them on I suppose if they are being kept close to him." Hermoine said matter of factly.

"When do you reckon he'll wake up?" Harry asked.

"Not all answers are found in the stars Harry." Firenze said with a light smile gracing his thin lips.

"Uh.. no I.. I didn't mean like that." He said feeling a bit flustered and stupid.

"We should get back to the dorm I don't think he's going to wake up anytime soon." Hermoine said. "We should leave before we get in trouble." She glanced worriedly over to Firenze and wondered if the centaur would take away house points.

"You were the one in such a rush to get here, now we have to leave so soon?" Ron replied. Now that they got here and saw all these oddities of muggle devices it had formed a mystery. Even if they went back to their dorms he wouldn't think he'd get much sleep.

"It's getting late, we have class tomorrow!" she huffed.

"It was your idea to come out here." Harry pointed out.

"Oh like you two wouldn't of suggested it if I hadn't gotten to it first."

"So?"

"You two are impossible!"

Hermoine rolled her eyes and crossed her arms haughtily over her chest.

* * *

The soft murmurs of voices had drifted lazily through a fog of sleep in Foaly's mind.

_Holly… Mulch… Artemis?_

Foaly thought who could these voices belong to as he shifted through a mental list in his mind. The voices were getting annoying and he just wanted to sleep. But none of the voices he knew matched with these…and he realized in his sleep the only way he could find out was to open his eyes and wake up. And that's when he realized they weren't soft murmurs but bitter bickering.

_"Why won't they shut up! I'm trying to sleep! I'm so tired… when was the last time I slept so long? I can't remember… not since I picked up that stupid thing on my stupid computer Can't they just let me sleep! Just wait till I wake up you fools. You'll really get it then. "

* * *

_

"Aren't you going?" Ron asked.

She glared at him for a moment. "No" she finally answered.

"Why not? You were just yelling at us." Ron asked.

"Because…. " she paused and thought for a moment, "Harry has the cloak." She stated as if that settled it.

"She's right." Harry grinned at Ron.

"Are you mad! Not in front of…" Ron hissed and glanced over to Firenze. All three bickering friends stopped and glanced over to the centaur who didn't appear to have heard a word of what had gone on around them. He was studying the other centaur closely with wide eyes and an odd look on his face. Only when the glanced down to the other centaur they figured out why Firenze looked so pale.

He had woken up.

* * *

Meanwhile, in a small village on the border of Scotland a father and son were outside starring at the stars. The son had just turned 21 and was about to go out on his own in the world. And as always the caring father had some parting words and blessings to give to his oldest son.

"Take care of yourself boy."

"Don't worry pops.. I'm going to find my place in the world." The young man glanced over to his stern father. Many said that the two were very alike; quiet, stern, with strong bold chins. The night was cold and the stars shone brightly against the black sky.

"Just remember son… the sky is the same no matter where life takes you, and home will always be here for you." His eyes crinkled into a smile as he patted his son's shoulder. The two stared into the night sky, spying familiar constellations… and a foot?

It was gone in a flash but clear as day. There had been a foot; small like a child but covered in coarse hair. The two stayed quiet unsure if what they saw was really there or not.

The son cleared his throat and turned his head "Uh.. maybe I'll wait a week before I leave… " he muttered to his father.

"That… that seems like a good idea to me. Come. Your mother has made warm apple pie."

And the moment of abnormality was forgotten for the moment as the two lapsed back into normality. They dared not mention it to the other in fear of being proven crazy but … it had been a foot.

Or a very odd shaped bird.

* * *

"Holly… stop bickering with the mudmen. " Foaly slurred. His speech was heavy with the effects of the sleeping draught resulting in his sharp tongue resembling a fat troll's.

A collective breath escaped the room as Foaly's heavy lidded eyes closed tight.

"Maybe… uh.. 'Mione's right mate. We should get back." Ron said.

"Yeah… I'm up for that. Good night Firenze. "

"Night! See you later Professor Firenze." Hermoine said.

"Goodight." Harry finished as he traced after friends. Once he exited the hospital wing his two friends were outside waiting for him. He slipped out his cloak and tossed it over the three of them.

"That was really odd." Hermoine whispered as they headed back to their common room.

"What are mudmen? Who's Holly?" Ron asked, filled with questions.

"You think it's a new word for muggle-borns?" Harry asked glancing over to Hermoine.

"My name isn't Holly mate." Ron smiled lightly.

"Shhh… this cloak doesn't cloak sound." Hermoine hushed.

"No one's in this hall 'Mione." Harry rolled his eyes.

"She's right, Flich knows those place better then us without the map." Ron pointed out. The map being of course the one created by Moony, Wormtail, Prongs and Padfoot. The Marauder's.

* * *

Firenze was glad when Harry, Hermoine and Ron left. While they were here he couldn't concentrate very much with their bickering. Nice children but so tiring with their constant bickering. He sighed and circled the bed, the soft noise of his hooves echoing over the empty room.

He scratched his scruffy chin and sighed.

"_I'm not going to get any answers until you wake up, aren't I? "_ he thought to himself.

He moved over to the large windows that line the walls and crossed his arms over his chest and stared at the stars. The stars were very clear tonight and he spent the next hour or so starring out of the window, looking for answers. He continued his gazing at the sky until they began to fade and the largest star of our universe began to ride.

The sun.

* * *

Exciting stuff happening in the next chapter!

Read and Rate chicos!


	7. Chapter 7

Here is the exciting seventh chapter to our story! I think I got the wrong name for the one of the magical creatures Firenze mentions so if anyone would care to correct me on that I'd greatly appreciate it.

* * *

It was only when the sun was beginning to rise over the tops of the trees that and odd collection of 'friends' (a term loosely applied here) stop flying and dropped down into the forest that had before passed oh so quickly beneath them. The sun didn't have any effect on their camouflage technology which made Artemis wonder why Holly stopped flying. It was faster then trekking through the woods, and easier. In truth the elf was getting frustrated by her set of wings.

"D'vart. I need to get this thing a tune up." She muttered darkly under her breath as she let Mulch, Butler and Artemis untangle themselves.

"My foot's freezing! I'm telling you it felt like it was out in the air the entire time.!" Mulch whined as he sat on the warm dirt and began to rub his bare feet. The feeling of the earth on his bum made him pause and look around. He lowered his hands to the ground and cupped a handful of dirt. He tossed it to his mouth and began to chew thoughtfully.

"I thought your thieving skills were better then to have you result to eating dirt." Artemis smirked.

"Care to have me break into your home, _again?_" he replied with an innocent flutter of his eyes.

"I learn from my mistakes." He replied simply, though not quite implying how. Telling Mulch about his new security systems will just lessen the fun for the dwarf if he ever tried to get in.

"And I've learnt from my mistakes as well." Butler replied with a quirk in his eyebrow. He was the one who picked out most of the security upgrades.

"Alright, enough. The coordinates were the LEP picked up Foaly last is just a short walk from here." Holly said, interrupting the conversation. She had her hands on her hips and was tapping her foot in impatience.

"This way." She said pointing to their left. She began to walk hurriedly in that direction, leaving the others to catch up. Artemis and Mulch walked quickly behind her, both not liking the current situation. Artemis was not dressed to go on a woodsy hike. His shoes better not get ruined or else he'd charge Holly to replace them. He knew she had enough gold. And Mulch… he hated to walk like this. With his short legs he had to walk quickly to keep up and the dirt beneath his toes was so inviting. He had tasted it before to get an idea of the minerals in this area. It was quite an intoxicating flavor, one he had never come across before. Oh of course there was your usual minerals but something else… something that gave him the feeling of what it felt like before he gave up his magic. He had given it up so long ago though that he didn't even realize that what he had tasted was in fact; magic.

Butler fell behind his charge and the dwarf, glancing a bit nervously at the flap on the back of Mulch's pants now and then. He wasn't kidding when he said he learnt from him mistakes; especially ones that almost took his head off.

They walked for twenty minutes in silence before Artemis stopped suddenly. He reached into his pocked and pulled out his cell phone. He flicked it open and looked through his, his forehead creased in annoyance.

"Mudboy! What are you doing!" Holly shouted when she realized that they were no longer following. She had thought that maybe they had gotten separated, or worse and it frustrated her to see him playing with his cell phone. She worried for a moment that it was one of those camera phones and he intended to get proof of the fairies, and then blackmail it for gold. The fear passed when she realized that Artemis was smarter then such a simple plan.

"I .. I feel like I'm forgetting something rather important. Butler, is today my mother's birthday?" He replied, shaken that he couldn't find an answer.

"No, it has passed already." He answered. He to had shared with the feeling of forgetting something and before this had happened was running through a mental check of the weapons he had packed.

"My father? Yours?" He listed.

Butler shook his head.

"You know what, today's my birthday! Now for New Haven's sake put away that damn thing and come on!" Holley couldn't believe what they were doing, in the middle of their bloody search for Foaly none the less!

"Sorry…" he muttered and returned his cell phone to his pocked and continued to trudge after Holly, the feeling of him missing something growing larger and larger with each step. He wanted to turn around and go back but his urge to find Foaly pushed him on. This was quite a delicious mystery after all; one he was eager to solve.

"You know, it's my birthday too. Where's my gift?" Mulch snickered. Artemis ignored him, feeling angry and… something new. Something he had never felt before. It was close to embarrassment but not quite. He had read about it before but… oh my. It hit him what it was. Stupid. He, Artemis Fowl, was feeling stupid!

He groaned mentally and curled his fists into a ball and became determined not to stop again. He found it surprisingly hard though to fight against the urge; and it became a battle of wills.

Each step he took became harder and harder and the urge to turn around was growing to the point that he was starting to develop a headache. He glanced behind him to see that Butler had dropped a few steps as if he had paused before footsteps. His bodyguard seemed to be racked with the same feeling as Artemis was. His forehead was creased with concentration and his eyes not-focused; a rare look for the ever alert Butler.

"Holly, stop." He said at last.

She did just that and turned around, her eyes flashing. "You better be thankfully that this is the coordinates that the last signal the LEP received from Foaly was transmitted from. Now what is it? I'm almost regretting bringing you!"

"Finally!" Mulch shouted thankfully and with as much grace as a troll he fell back onto the ground and dug his toes into the dirt, the hair there squirming with delight.

Artemis didn't blame her from being short with him. One of her best and first friends had gone missing, something that few fairies manage to do in this age. But Foaly's technology just couldn't seem to be able to yield the location of its creator. None the less he thought it wise to be a bit careful around her.

"There's something magical going on around here. As we walked closer to this way me and Butler were being overcome with the urge to turn around; to the point that I'm suffering a nasty headache. Isn't that correct Butler." He asked, turning to look at the large man.

"And I can't figure out what it is but nothing comes to mind that needed to be done." He agreed.

"So you mean someone is trying to keep us away?" Holly said, her eyes flickering around the forest as if the guilty one would be hiding in the shadows.

Artemis nodded his head solemnly. "I had nothing recorded in my planner of high importance; these feelings are not being created by our own will. They are incredibly annoying but we'll live. It means that we're getting close. Something big is going on here." He said, his eyes gleaming with excitement.

"So we better keep going." Holley sighed and turned around. "It always makes me look uncomfortable when you get that look in your eye Artemis." She murmured and continued to stalk foreword.

Butler silently agreed but said nothing. He smiled at Holly's comment and Mulch's loud groans of annoyance by the fact that they were moving so soon again.

* * *

Sleep-clouded eyes flickered awake from the harsh glare of the sun. Somehow the single crack in the thick curtains that hung in this room managed to let the sun fall directly in Foaly's face. He groaned and turned his head in the opposite direction. It didn't even register to him that A) The previous night's events B) That it was the sun and not the artificial light reproduced below ground and that C) He wasn't alone.

Of course he realized all these things eventually (He was a very smart centaur after all) and the one that hit him the hardest was letter C.

Firenze had sat back and watched as Foaly woke. He didn't rush the process for that was never a good way to make friends. Instead he was patient and ran over the list of questions he had waited all night to ask. He realized that he didn't do much sleeping during the night. In-between shifts of watching Foaly and watching the stars he got in; at most; two to three hours for the whole night.

Foaly opened his mouth and tried to speak but his tongue felt as useful to him as a brain to a goblin.

"Hnn rugh uuh?" were his first brilliant words to this stranger.

"Oh! The potion must have left your mouth like flogworm in your mouth. That was a strong sleeping draught you were given." Firenze said and lifted a cup of water from the nightstand which was next to the contacts and earring-aid (At least that's what he thought it was called though why a male centaur would need an earring-anything was beyond him)

"Drink." He offered. Foaly gazed at the other centaur with obvious shock written on his face. He wondered to himself what a flogworm was as he downed the drink. It did help a lot more then he thought it was. He opened his mouth and tried again.

"Who are you?" He asked, pleased to find that everything was now working in order. He looked around at the very mudmen location and felt confused. "Where are we? What happened? Why are you above ground? Where are the rest of the centaurs." His questions spilt out quickly and Firenze took it all in stride.

Most of the questions made sense though a few confused him. Why would he ask a thing as silly as 'Why are you above ground?'.

"Where else would I be but up on the surface with the stars." He replied curiously.

"Atlantis perhaps, maybe Haven. You are really breaking many rules by being up here you know. I know that the stars must be a sight to behold on a clear night but is it worth being discovered by mudmen?" He replied smartly.

"Rules? Mudmen?" He asked, the confusion on his face matching, if not surpassing, Foaly's.

"Yes Mudmen you kno-" but before he could finish a trio of mudmen burst through the great doors at the edge of the hall and ran down to greet Firenze. One bushy headed mudgirl held a plate of food in her hands.

"Firenze! You weren't at breakfast so we decided to bring you something to ea-" Hermoine stopped short, her face flushed from running, as she realized that she had just interrupted a conversation.

"He's awake!" Ron announced.

"Good Morning. Thank you for the food but I'm not that hungry, are you?" Firenze asked Foaly only to see a look of horror etched clearly on his face.

He sprang out of the bed at once, a very difficult task for a drowsy centaur to accomplish. The enchanted bed creaked in protest and his knees buckled at first.

Hermoine shouted out in fright and dropped the plate. The plate shattered and eggs and toast covered the ground.

"What's wrong?" Firenze asked Foaly, wondering what could have unsettled him so. Was it the smell of eggs? He wasn't very fond of it himself. In truth he was hungry but not that hungry.

"Hermoine! He's not going to hurt you." Harry said less confident then he felt. He glanced at Foaly a bit hesitantly.

"I-I-I know. I was just startled." She said flustered. She drew out her wand and cast a quick spell. "_Scourgify" _She muttered embarrassed. The plate and food vanished, leaving the floor sparkling clean.

"W-W-What are you?" Foaly muttered in complete and utter shock. His blood was pounding in his head the noise of his heartbeat drowning out the sounds of the others as he stared in horror at the three newcomers. They looked like Mudmen, sounded like mudmen, acted like mudmen and probably smelt like mudmen to! But they preformed magic; spells!

Oh gods, what had he got himself into.

* * *

Stay tuned for the next chapter!

Silver-Head Angel: You're true about the last one being a cliff-hanger and hey! This one ends in a very similar way!

Valta: I admit that when I read you compare yourself to Simon Cowell on I was a little afraid. But hey, maybe I can be the next American Idol after all ;

Sealover456: Thanks!

Realfanficts: More specifically it was Mulch ;

Pearl Mist: Fear not! You have nothing more to wait for … except for the next chapter!

Person to Lazy to sign in: Oops. You're right about that. I meant our solar system. Well you all figured out what I meant and as you are to lazy to sign in I'm to lazy to go back and fix it. :x

polka-dotted-pengiuns: Gracias!

The Violent Tomboy: And Chaos shall ensue.


	8. Chapter 8

Hey everyone! Sorry for the wait! One of my computer drives vanished! Be thankful I got all my folders and documents back! Though really the only thing I would have cried over would have been my music.

Disclaimer: The characters do not belong to me.

* * *

The forest was silent… peaceful. The tree's large canopies cast the area in shadows, Something Mulch should be very glad for. It was by no means a beautiful forest. It gave of a feeling of gloominess and danger and the thick fog that spun around their ankles did nothing but reinforce those thoughts. Yet it was peaceful. All they could hear was their own footprints though occasionally the oddest noises would reach their ears. Once their was the rough call of some unknown bird. It's voice froze their tracks and spilt cold ice down their blood. But it was gone and they didn't hear it again. It took a while for the feeling of forbidding that it left behind to leave their hearts. And once their was a great groaning that seemed to come from the trees themselves. Artemis wanted badly to leave this place and it was more then just the unbearable feeling of his mind telling him constantly that he forgot something important. Mulch admitted to having a similar feeling as they trudged deeper into the forest but it wasn't nearly as strong as Artemis's and Butler's. Holly was the only one who seemed immune to it.

All this went through Artemis's mind as he walked behind Mulch and in front of Butler. Someone was trying to keep them away by means of magic. That means that more of the magic folk were involved… but why would they want Foaly? Maybe Juliet had a wrestling match today? Where they going to use him to build weapons and try to take over the Underground or kill off all the mudmen? Did I have to pick up a suit from the dry cleaner's? Yet Foaly left on his will so then was he tricked? "_This is so frustrating! I can't think right now! I can't get those stupid thoughts out of my he-"_

_Ring Ring!_

_Ring Ring!_

_Ring Ring!_

Everyone froze and all heads whipped towards Artemis.

"God damn it Mudboy! Turn that damn thing off!" Holly hissed. The noise echoed around them announcing their presence to all who have yet been unaware of it.

"It's a secure line! All you and Butler can call it!" He replied back. He reached his hand into his pocket and pulled off the thin flip-phone and opened it. "Call from 426-62442? That's to many numbers…" He read outloud. He quickly pushed the ignore button and the ringing was silenced.

"Who was that number?" Holly asked. Or more importantly, how did they get his number?

"I don't kn-"

_Ring Ring!_

_Ring Ring!_

_Ring Ring!_

Artemis whipped out his phone and this time he ignored the ignore button and turned it off. It was the same number as before.

"We'll get the answers to all of this when we found Fo-" Artemis began but was interrupted.

_Ring Ring!_

_Ring Ring!_

_Ring Ring!_

Artemis's pale face paled and he stared down at the phone he had yet to put away. The number 426-62442 flashed urgently on the screen.

"Artemis didn't you .." Butler began.

"Yeah I did. It's still ringing." He wanted to answer it, to see who it was.

Mulch and Holly gathered around Artemis. Mulch knew a bit more about mudmen technology then Holly but even she knew that once something turned off it wasn't suppose to go Ring-Ring anymore.

She grabbed the phone out of Artemis's hands and threw it on the ground, her boot catching up with it quickly. The last Ring died away and was replaced by a _Ker-chunk._

"That was new!" Artemis shouted up in protest at once.

"Please. You have enough of our gold to buy as much as those as you want. Holly said nonchalantly.

Artemis smiled wickedly. It was true after all.

"We better keep moving then." He kicked at the destroyed phone which lay in a heap on the ground, curious to see that the number 426-62442 was still on the screen. That was still one number to much…

He sighed and continued walking. At least he had something new to think about now. Maybe the numbers stood for something and that's why there were too many. But he never heard of that happening before.

* * *

"What are we?" Hermoine reiterated the question. She was rather confused. He was a centaur after all. He should be fully aware of the wizarding world.

"He looks like he's going to be sick." Ron muttered quietly to Harry who nodded his head in agreement.

Foaly fell back on his haunches his mind racing. Everything that had just happened was tearing apart the world he had known. It was simple before. Him and his kind stayed underground and did as they pleased with magic while the Mudmen rolled around in the mud. The Mudmen were far from capable from doing magic. Yet this girl, this simple young girl had just performed magic! He gulped, his throat feeling dry and he asked his question once again.

"What are you?" his voice sounded choked and harsh but at least his words were clear enough for them to understand.

"This is young Harry Potter, Ron Weasely and Hermoine Granger. Best friends and a witch and wizards." Firenze said as if that was the clearest thing to realize on the universe.

"But they're only human, they're not supposed to do magic. They aren't elves, or sprites or dwarves or any other sort of creature that has the magic running through their blood." He argued.

"Everyone in this building has magic in them." Ron said.

"That's not true Ron! Filch is a squib, and his cat isn't magical! And don't forget about the house elves, the poor dears." She sniffed stubbornly at the mention of the house elves. S.P.E.W. was still going strong and unstoppable. (At least in Hermoine's mind).

"Ok so almost everyone." He corrected himself with a roll of his eyes which earned him a hard nudge from Hermoine.

"Do you… do you have to plant an acorn from an ancient tree into the earth to revive your magic?" he asked quietly.

They all looked at him now with an array of confused looks.

"Um… no. I don't think I've ever had to do that before." Harry said, finally answering the question.

"Do all of you mudme- I mean wizards know about us centaurs and others?" he asked. He feared that the answer would be yes, that despite all of their attempts to keep the mudmen from ever finding out that it would have all been for not.

"Well all of us wizards know I guess. But the muggles don't. When a muggle comes across magic we always have to wipe their minds." Harry scratched the back of his head. Shouldn't this guy know all of this or was he living in the center of the Earth for most of his life?

"You have the technology?" Foaly was amazed.

"Er… we have the magic." Ron blurted. Foaly's amazement diminished.

"Tell me friend, don't you know anything about your own kind?" Firenze asked. He studied Foaly closely and tried to pick away the layers of mystery over the other.

"And don't you know yours?" He retorted quickly. His eyes matched Firenze, his intelligence going against the other's wisdom; so alike in many ways yet so different. For Firenze the answers were on the night sky but for the other it was on computer monitor; For Foaly everything was black and white but for the other there was a massive gray area that could be changed.

"I think we have a lot to discuss." Firenze broke the moment that not even Ron felt the need to interrupt. "In private." He added and glanced back at the three students. "And I'd appreciate it if you didn't spread this tale." He added quietly.

"We won't." Hermoine said, answering for the three of them.

"Should we come back with the cloak?" Ron whispered behind her back. Harry glanced over to Firenze and Foaly.

"Nah, I think we'll find out in time." He responded to his friend. Ron like disappointed by the fact that they were going to have to wait for an untold time but he wasn't going to try to sneak back just by himself or with Hermoine.

"C'mon 'Mione. We have classes in a half hour." Ron said and started to walk back. Hermoine looked at him with a surprised look on her face.

"You want to get to class early!" she beamed with pride.

"Er… actually.. I need your help to finish my potions essay."

Harry laughed.

* * *

"The forest is getting thinner." Holly announced. And she was right. The trees which were thinning out and through the small gaps the endless green announced that they were approaching an open area of grass; possibly a field. The end of the forest was marked with bushes that the group crouched under. Holly reached them first and let out a gasp.

"Unbelievable." She whispered.

"What? It's just an abandoned factory. It's not that unbelievable. I suppose they could be using it as a hideout. We should do a perimeter check first." Artemis began to plan in his head. His one track mind was not bothered about the numerous "**DANGER**" "**CONDEMMED**" and "**NO TRESPASSING**" signs posted around the derelict structure that, on the outside, looked like it had been ravaged by a fire. Those were all just simple guises. On the inside the building could be as plush as the Queen's Palace.

"What are you talking about? You don't see the numerous people flying on … brooms I think they are? Or the grand castle? What about the giant man talking to the numerous mudmen with that strange" at this point she gasped " Is that an unicorn?"

Mulch let out a low whistle. "I see it but… I don't know it's kind of blurry?" he was lightly confused but then again he was lingering farther back from the others. He was busy smearing the nasty smelling sun lotion over his sensitive skin. The walk through the shaded forest had left it pink with hints of sunburn.

"The only thing I see in the sky are a few birds native to this area… though that owl looks like it should belong in more artic temperatures.." he mused out loud as his assassin trained eyes followed the bird's movements to above the factor. He blinked and it was gone. It was odd because it wasn't anywhere near a window that could allow it entrance to the factory where it probably had made his home. And since when do owls fly in the day?

Artemis ignored Holly's and Mulch's words. He trusted his own eyes just like he trusted his mind to do simple algebra without a calculator. "We should get a closer look." He announced and started to walk through the bush.

"Ouch!" he stopped and step back his left hand grabbing his other hand. "Thorn bushes." He cursed. Artemis Fowl may be no stranger with discomfort after being around The People but he still didn't have to like it.

"Oh for the love of…" Holly rolled her eyes and grabbed his hand. He eyed the thorn that was sticking out of the tip of his index finger. Artemis looked away from her and stared into the sky at the different birds flying around. This would only hurt for a second. Thorns stung for a few seconds naturally but with Holly's magic it will be less then that.

He felt a prick and then it was gone.

"There, all better. Look before you jump next time." She said calmly and released his palm.

Artemis's eyes widened like dish plates in that lonely second. "Those… those weren't birds. They were people on brooms and… " he looked down at his finger, the smooth surface revealing little to the thorn that lay harmlessly on the ground now. In his mind two pieces slipped together, forming a picture which he was just starting to release was part of a puzzle much bigger then what he ever dreamed of.

"And I could only see it when I had magic running through my blood. Just like what you have in you." He looked up quickly at Holly who couldn't fathom what this crazy mudman was yammering on about. "And Mulch.. you had to give up your magic but you're still a dwarf, a magical creature. That's why things seemed blurry. And me and Butler have no magic at all so… so we only saw the birds and factory!" his voice was rising in excitement and his eyes were flashing brightly. The others were starting to understand what he was getting to and all looked back at the building they discovered. "It's hidden in magic!" he finished proudly and stunned the others into an awed silence and left Artemis to thank the minor discomfort the thorn provided that handed the key to his lap.

"So what do we do now?" Holly asked after a moment. She had no doubt in her mind that Foaly was in that building.

Artemis said, "We wait till nightfall."

"Why night?" Butler questioned.

Artemis's gaze flickered over to Mulch. "Because we don't want our friend to suffer from sunburn as he does what he does best."

"D'vart! You're trying to get me killed!" Mulch protested but he knew there was no escape, especially when Holly got that look in her eye.

"_I should be glad I'm her friend. She looks like she's ready to go to hell and back to rescue that centaur." _Mulch thought to himself; a thought that was equally shared by Artemis and Butler.

* * *

Unknown to there are several plans being set forth that very night.

"Is everything in place?

"Y-Y-es, my lord."

"You know that if you fail me there will be dire consequences."

"Do not worry! I am very confident. This plan is fool proof and I can guarantee you that nothing can go wrong-Arghh!" The follower's speech was broken by horrific noises that seemed monstrous in its anguish. The body fell and twisted in pain on the ground and just as soon as it began it ended.

"Don't get to cocky. That's how mistakes are made. Take that as a warning."

"Y-Y-es, my lord." The female said as she gasped and caught her breath. The Dark Lord gazed down her with cold eyes the only emotion that was clear enough to see being contempt.

"Do not fail me." And he was gone, leaving the robed figure crippled on the ground gasped for breath and aching all over.

* * *

Alex Howard: I fear my hands would fall off with that many chapters.

LightKeeper: Maybe not ingenious but it's pretty damn close.

I have many names: If you kill me then I'm taking the story to the grave my friend!

Miako: Actually I'm not planning for it to be Artemis and Holly. I'm not really planning any relationships to bloom in the future with the Artemis gang. Ron and Hermoine and Harry and Ginny are the only possibilities of the moment but those are canon. And I agree with the different species borderline pedophile points. It would be subtle. At most what I can see forming is the one-sided thing you mentioned.

…: I plan to continue even if it kills me

HottahSpots: Thanks for telling me that mine fits well! My inspirations for this was actually anger at seeing some totally unreasonable Artemis Fowl and Harry Potter crossovers.

Silver-head angel: You better get use to the cliff-hangers because I'm not stopping!

Realfanficts: Yes I did mean Flobberworm! Thanks! And thanks for pointing out the Mulch versus sun factor!

The Violent Tomboy: You're right; thanks for pointing it out! I'll get around to fixing that… eventually.

Can anyone figure out the what the numbers mean :0 Gasp! Take a guess! I'll reveal it next chapter! It's quite corny.

Polka-dotted-penguins: Thanks! I hope you like this update to.

Sponge-fan: I wasn't planning to have the enchantments on the castle suddenly disappear. I've read all the Harry Potter books and that's not a detail one should forget! And flobberworm was correct.

Sealover456: And what a surprise he wakes to!


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